06-07-2009, 11:49 PM

I've been trying to do some damage control on a friend's white 14" G3 iBook (with OS X 10.2), and this is the current problem I'm working on:

I'm fairly certain that the notebook is carrying a virus or two, as trying to use the keyboard resulted in different symbols being displayed, seemingly at random. (I.e., pressing the "A" key may result in either an a, i,j,5, or any of the other letters/numbers/symbols typically on the keyboard. Same goes for all the other keys. Even in Key Caps) The fact that he recieved the iBook from another friend who didn't give him the reboot discs, or even the admin password before leaving town, doesn't help my cause at all.

So I ran Disk Utility, and then removed the keyboard and cleaned it. (This does nothing for the infamous smell, but I hoped cleaning it might help it work better.) I replaced everything and booted the computer. Now the keyboard doesn't work at all. So my question is: Hardware or software? and what should I try next?

06-08-2009, 12:13 AM

Big ask sorting that 'Handmedown' For a start try installing Panther, it was less buggy and more stable that 10.2 and do u know if there had been any liquid spilt on the keyboard - that is more likely than a virus IMHO

06-08-2009, 12:38 AM

Hhhmm. I don't know about the liquid part, but the keyboard does have that infamous "Smell" of B.O./Burning Electrical that was notorious on the Icebooks and evidence that, yeah, something got in there.

And without the Admin password, I can't install a newer OS.

However, everything seems to be working for the most part now except for the keyboard.

06-08-2009, 02:08 AM

Sounds as if you simply have a faulty keyboard. I doubt you have a virus, there are literally none. If you plug a USB keyboard into the USB port will this then function ok? You can install a newer OS by doing an archive and install, no password needed for this, and you can reset the admin password by booting from a system CD/DVD, it doesn't have to be the original CD supplied with the iBook. Any retail 10.3 or 10.4 will do if you have sufficient memory.

06-09-2009, 01:02 AM

yeah, i fixed all the permissions and there is no evidence of a virus, but i'm pretty sure the keyboard is toast. That's alright, it smelled like my first roommate anyways.

Luckily a friend of ours has easy access to a new keyboard, so my friend will probably have this book fully running soon. Until then, he'll just need a usb keyboard.

Thanks Guys!!